Expert Tip 4.Set your purpose for what you want to get out of the book.

Expert Tip 5.Focus on differences (what you don’t know) rather than similarities (what you already know or understand).

Expert Tip 6. Start with an overview of the information. ‘From global to detail’ is a brain-friendly sequence for organising information.

Expert Tip 8.Focus on ‘hot spots’ – the key words and phrases which carry the information you need. According to the 80/20 rule, 80% of the meaning is found in 20% of the words in most material (specifically 4-11% of words carry all the meaning according to Dr Russell Stauffer author of “Teaching Reading As A Thinking Process” 1969).

Expert Tip 10.Recognise that you already know a lot of the information. Build on what you know.

Expert Tip 13.Read whole chunks at a time rather than looking at words letter by letter.

WEIRD: Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, But the wrod as a wlohe. And you touhhgt taht sepllnig was iprmoetnt!

Expert Tip 17. Remember that just because a book’s on your subject, it doesn’t mean it’s a good book or that it contains what you need.

Expert Tip 21.Get into a peak / optimal state before reading. Research suggests that when you are in an optimal state, feeling good your reading and cognitive skills will work better.

Expert Tip 22. Reading faster helps you to be happier, more creative and energetic. Do you want to feel better or change your mood? Do you want to feel more energetic? Read faster! PhotoReading and SpeedReading is the answer. Research done in Princeton University (Emily Pronin – read the ABSTRACT below) suggests that people who speed up their thinking with timed activities such as reading fast a piece of text that scrolled quickly – felt happier and more powerful, creative and energetic. Read more on this research (Psychology Today)

Speed Reading Expert Tip 30. Speed reading technique with Adobe Acrobat
Try this cool technique to help with Speed Reading Adobe PDF using Adobe Acrobat.
If you press SHIFT CRTL and H button to start automatic scrolling (or go to View > Automatically Sroll). Now set the speed by pressing 0 – 9. It’s great for speed reading/super speed reading and excellent for scanning too. Start with a 9 and work your way down to a number you can read comfortably, then try to increase the number to increase you Word Per Minute count.

That I don’t have to read books from cover to cover!
I used to feel overwhelmed and helpless when I thought about all the books I had to read. But the other day I was happily sitting in bed surrounded by FIVE books – all of which I was skimming through to get some information for a lecture. Edit M., Trainer

That not all books contain information I need. Now I read books selectively.
I used to feel an obligation to read a book from cover to cover even when I realised that I already knew most of what it had to say, or that it didn’t actually contain anything I needed to know. Now the five minutes I spend overviewing means that I don’t waste time reading books I don’t need to read, that I have a pretty good idea of what’s in loads more books, and of course that I spend my time reading things which are relevant. Name supplied, Businessman

That it is possible to photoread 30 books a week.
I went into my first MA seminar having ‘photoread’ five books about the subject. None of the other students had read more than half a book and they knew almost nothing about the subject. I already knew at least 80% of what the tutor told us. That means I can get a grade of 80% even before I attend the course! Now I regularly photoread up to 30 books a week – including ‘extra’ books, which means I can challenge some of the tutors! And I still have a bit of time for reading just for fun. Adam H., Masters student

That I don’t have to read bad books. I can tell the difference!
I used to think something must be worth reading just because it was written in a book. Now I can evaluate books and decide which ones are worth reading. I save myself a fortune: I no longer buy books I don’t read. If I only need one or two bits of information from a book, I copy them down in the shop, or borrow the book from a library. And I’ve cleared loads of space on my bookshelf because I’ve sold or thrown away the books I know are not worth keeping. Jane N., Teacher

That I can trust myself to get the information I need.
I no longer have to read every word in a book in case I’ve missed something. By speed reading a book strategically I can easily remember what it’s all about. When I used to take three or four days to read a book, I’d forgotten the beginning by the time I reached the end. Even if I ‘speed-read’ a book more than once, it’s still quicker than ‘reading’ it the old way. Richard P., Computer technician

That I can enjoy reading different things in different ways.
I used to think there was only one way of reading. I think I didn’t want to learn any version of ‘speed reading’ because I’d lose the pleasure of curling up with a good book. Now I know useful photoreading techniques for getting through the factual information quickly – and I have more time for reading for pleasure. Deirdre D., Accountant

That I can read a book in the same way that I read a newspaper.
It was a great revelation to realise that I already had many of the skills I needed – I just had to apply them to books! I think I always thought there was something special about books, but really they’re just another source of information. Now I recommend photoreading to all my clients. Thomas L., Coach

That it’s a good idea to know WHY I’m reading something.
It took me quite a while to understand what a good ‘goal’ was, but now I automatically know what my goal is when I pick up a book. Sometimes my goal is just to find out whether a book has anything in it that I might need – but knowing that is enough to stop me spending unnecessary time reading books I don’t need! And if I only want one bit of information from a book, then I only spend the time speed reading to get that one bit of information. Martin H., Musician

The 80/20 rule.
I now live my life by it – business stuff, personal stuff, everything. I feel so much clearer and I get so much more done. Oh, and my reading’s better too. Sandra F., Student

That I already had a lot of the strategies I needed to be an efficient reader – I just needed to apply them selectively.
I know the 80/20 rule, I know how to read a newspaper and how to use a telephone directory, I love reading and I read voraciously – so why didn’t I make the simple connections for myself and transfer my skills to things I ‘have to’ read? But now I have! Carolyn L., Administrative Assistant